I want to run a certain Python script that calls MATLAB through the Ubuntu 12.04 command terminal. The script has this line:
os.system("matlab -nojvm -nodisplay -nosplash -r "ReadFates5mm;quit"")
but it returns a syntax error on the last portion with ReadFates.. and I don't know how to fix it.
I know there's a way using the matlab python bridge but I would have to convert my matlab file into a function.
Thanks!
You need to quote the string properly.
Try:
os.system('matlab -nojvm -nodisplay -nosplash -r "ReadFates5mm;quit"')
OR
os.system("matlab -nojvm -nodisplay -nosplash -r 'ReadFates5mm;quit'")
Alternately, you can escape the nested double quotes.
os.system("matlab -nojvm -nodisplay -nosplash -r \"ReadFates5mm;quit\"")
Explanation:
In your code,
os.system("matlab -nojvm -nodisplay -nosplash -r "ReadFates5mm;quit"")
1 1' 22'
The double quote started at marker 1 ends at the market 1' & the quote started at 2 ends at 2'.
Basically, you need to escape the " at 1' & 2, using \".
Alternately, you can use other quote character, '.
For more details, search for "string quoting & escape characters".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escape_character#Programming_and_data_formats
os.system('matlab -nojvm -nodisplay -nosplash -r "ReadFates5mm;quit"')? OR escape the quotes properly."and'. The problem is that, to include a literal"inside a string delimited with"you should escape it with a backslash. E.g."Say \"something\"". The same is true for':'Say \'something\''. To avoid using the backslash you can use a different delimiter(e.g. if the string include"you use'as delimiter, and if the string contains'you use"). By the way:os.systemshouldn't be used. Replace it withsubprocess.call."&'in some scripting languages.'something'is string literal in many of the languages. Any escape character within singly quoted string is taken as literally. Also'$variable'will not be expanded in bash. etc. I am not very sure about usage of'vs"in python. I just wanted to tell OP, that "absolutely no difference between"and'" is not a generic statement.